Tag Archives: REN

I could not believe that I used up 21 products this month! Alright most of them are samples but still. The post that will be coming up after this one is called “What I broke my no buy for”. Safe to say that it failed massively within days but I still think it was a good learning experience as not I single product was store bought. I just have no control when it comes to online sales aha. This should have made a little room for those products though.

Decluttered products:

Seventeen Stay Time Foundation in ‘soft ivory’ £6.49 ~ Back in the day I used to swear by this. Before brands started making lighter shades for us pale folk, this was the only foundation that would match me. It was the first full coverage foundation that I ever used, this is my second bottle of it as well but my skin has gotten a lot drier since then and this has a very thick consistency. If you have combination – oily skin and are looking for a super affordable, very full coverage foundation I recommend trying this out if you can find your shade. I just can’t wear this anymore so it had to go.

Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm £5.29 ~ This was hyped up by everyone, including myself, but I can’t use this anymore as my skin is too dry (sensing a theme yet). I think that if you have oily skin you will love this. However, stay away from it if you have dry skin as it will not do you any favours.

Revlon Shadowlink in ‘Melon’ £2.99 ~ This was a shadow from my 2017 project pan. I decided to declutter this shade as I made no progress with it and its very old. This was mentioned in my Project Pan update which if you haven’t seen that, it is the post before this one.

Empties:

Biore Charcoal Pore Strips £9.49 ~ I don’t know where the box for this went but this month I finished another pack of these pore strips. Both my boyfriend and I use these, they are super effective and you can usually get these on sale at Superdrug so they will be cheaper than the price above.

Too Faced Better than Sex mascara mini in purple FREE ~ This came in the Too Faced x NikkieTutorials collab kit. Recently Jeffree Star mentioned on Snapchat that the contract Too Faced made Nikkie sign for this collection was awful, we will probably never know the details but I love Nikkie so I hope it wasn’t that bad. It does make me question whether I want to purchase Too Faced products, what with all the drama around the old owner of the brand as well. Anyways, I loved using this product on my bottom lashes when I had a purple shade smoked on my lower lash line. This is really old now so I have to throw it out but I did really enjoy this and it has made me consider purchasing the original better than sex mascara.

L’Oreal Preference high shine conditioner FREE ~ Now I may have fallen out with my hair dye but my relationship with this conditioner is still holding strong. It just keeps your colour looking good and your hair looking healthy and shiny.

AVON ANEW VITALE day cream sample FREE x2 ~ These were the last two of the samples that I had of this product. I don’t know how many of these samples I have used up and shown in my empties posts, but it must be at least 30. I am still of the opinion that it is just okay; it’s a basic moisturiser with SPF 25 which makes it good for day time. I will not be purchasing the full size as there are products I prefer in my collection.

Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick in 725 Tantalizing Taupe £6.99 ~ Some of you may have seen this in my project pan update but if you haven’t, this is the first product I have finished in my project pan 2017. This is the perfect nude shade for fair skin tones, its great to just throw on as it goes with every look and you don’t have to think about it. I will definitely repurchase this as it is, dare I say it, my favourite drugstore nude lipstick.

Lush Bubblegum lip scrub £5.75 ~ I am tired of trying to love sugar scrubs in a pot. Don’t get me wrong if you are looking for a harsher scrub for your lips to get every bit of dead skin off, then you will probably like this. This is just too harsh on my lips and it becomes uncomfortable, I don’t enjoy sticking my finger in a pot and getting it under my nails and this product in particular goes bad so quickly. Therefore since I am not fond of this form of product and it went off a while ago. It was time for it to leave my collection.

Beauty Blender solid £14.00 ~ Until I made this purchase I was washing my brushes and sponges with hand soap, which did the job but took the colour out of my beauty blender and made the tools smell a little funny. This product makes it so easy to get everything super clean and I don’t have to use as much as I would if I was using the soap. Even if you don’t own a beauty blender, I highly recommend purchasing this to clean your tools as it will save you a lot of time and they will look like new.

Beauty Blender (Original) £16.00 ~ This was the first beauty blender I ever purchased and I used it to death which is why it is in this post. I purchased a new one in the light pink shade which I adore, even though it is basically white with a pink tint now from washing it. It applies liquid and cream products to the face quickly and blends them out flawlessly. I believe that everyone has to at least try these, they are hyped up for a reason.

AVON Senses Joyful Tropics papaya and peach moisturising shower creme £1.00 ~ This is a shower creme that smells exactly like it says it will. This is summer in a bottle, super fruity and more papaya than peach I would say. I really enjoyed this and I will probably pick another bottle up at some point.

Tata Harper Repairative Moisturizer sample FREE ~ I really didn’t like this. The smell was awful and super strong, being a popular and very expensive moisturizer I thought that although I might hate the smell it will do wonders for my skin. Wrong. This product costs £94.00 and it did nothing for my skin. I certainly won’t be purchasing the full size of this.

Lancome Juicy Shaker in 400 ‘Mint to be’ £19.50 ~ This shade applies clear with a very slight blue tint and it makes your teeth look whiter. Essentially this shade is a clear lip oil and therefore is super expensive for what it is. If you are prepared to spend this amount on a lip oil then I say go for it because this is the most hydrating lip product I have ever used. I loved how soft this made my lips. I would apply this when I had been wearing liquid lipstick days in a row and after you would never have known. I just personally can’t bring myself to repurchase it for that price. Although if you wear very minimal makeup and prefer to spend more on skincare products, I think you would love this as a lip oil in your daily routine.

Goldfaden MD Wake up call overnight regenerative facial treatment sample FREE ~ This had a beautiful light citrus scent to it and sunk nicely into the skin. It is for dry and ageing skin and I do recommend you get a sample of this before purchasing as it is £75.00 for 50ml (Ouch!). I do think that if you have that type of skin and you have tried a sample and enjoy it, it could be worth it. I would wait till Space NK does a spend £60 and get £15 off offer (this is online and is done quite a lot) to save yourself some money. Although to be honest you guys its very difficult to give a solid review on skincare based on a sachet.

REN V-Cense Revitalising night cream sample FREE ~ This has a really strong scent as well, I know a lot of products in this post that I haven’t liked is because of this but I honestly don’t know why brands are putting products out with such strong botanical/almost medicinal scents to them. It was a pretty good night cream but this scent lingers and I can’t bear it so I won’t purchase it. I find most REN products have strong scents so I really recommend smelling the products in store before purchase any of them, especially cause they are expensive.

REN Flash Rinse 1 minute facial sample FREE ~ This had such a strong citrus/ fresh orange scent, that’s the first thing I remember about this product. I left my skin feeling good but other than that I didn’t notice enough of a difference for the £32.00 that this product costs. I feel that since the claims on the product are based around lines, fatigue etc you would have to use it over time to actually see a result.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge £5.99 ~ I will always repurchase this sponge, I think its a great alternative to the beauty blender if you don’t want to spend the cash on it. I am currently using the Eco tools sponges instead but I am sure there is room for another of these in my collection as well.

Head & Shoulders smooth and silky shampoo sample FREE ~ I love Head & Shoulders products I just find that my hair reacts really well to it. This shampoo made my hair so shiny and healthy looking that of course I am going to go and buy the full size. I am just going to wait until I have used up some more hair products that I own.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre sample FREE ~ I have the full size of this already and I am obsessed with it. It’s super hydrating and a thicker cream consistency which I enjoy. I highly recommend this for those of you with dry or combination skin. Those with dry skin can wear this as a day or night cream where as I think combination skin people would just want to use this at night in my opinion.

That was the final product in my April empties, I know this was a long post but I had a lot of products to talk about this time. The totals are now 84 items with a retail value of £301.74 ! I am so happy that I am only 16 items away from 100 empties already! Will I make it to 100 empties next month…you’ll have to wait to find out.

One month into the year already, its hard to believe. January has been an action packed month with my second accounting exam, my new commitment of the gym every week and trying out lots of new products that I will be reviewing soon. Without anymore delays lets get into the post…

Unusable items:

Japonesque Precision Eyelash definer (£6.50) ~ This was a product designed to separate your eyelashes should mascara make them clumpy. In the photos included in this post, you can see that it has shattered into many pieces. So no surprise that it is being binned. I will not be repurchasing this because it was fiddly to use and didn’t separate my lashes as well as some other lash combs I have tried.

Champneys eye lash curlers (£6.50) ~ These were a mess, with the writing almost gone and the bit you curl your lashes with sticking together (no matter how well I clean it). It was clear its time was up. Before they were in this state they worked rather well, but these specific ones are no longer sold. Therefore, I estimated the price for the purpose of this post and purchased the NYX ones (£5) instead. I’m still testing these so I can’t give a review yet.

Real Techniques pointed foundation brush (£5.50) and buffing brush (£5.50)(both part of a set so estimated price) ~ These are the two brushes that I decluttered from my collection, as they are from the first set of makeup brushes I got (so they are old) and I never use them. I think that after you have had brushes for so long, they start to harbour bacteria no matter how much you clean them. This made it easy to declutter these, along with the fact that I don’t use flat foundation brushes and I prefer my Sigma F80 as a buffing brush. Therefore, I won’t be repurchasing.

Products used up:

Garnier Moisture Bomb Tissue Mask 99p ~ The more I use this mask, the more my opinion changes. I originally really liked this, believing it was really hydrating. However, this hydration now seems to only be shot term. After I take it off and rub the excess in, it feels very moisturising. However, a few minutes later it feels like I only applied a light moisturiser. I don’t think this is working for me anymore.

No7 Quick thinking wipes £2.00 ~ These were in lots of my monthly empties last year and for good reason. They are still my favourite makeup wipes, they don’t sting your eyes and remove all my makeup easily.

Head & Shoulders Classic Shampoo 500ml £4.99 ~ I really enjoy this because it leaves my hair feeling so clean and removes all oil from my scalp, without drying out my hair. I will definitely repurchase.

AVON Superextend liquid liner in black £3.50 ~ I have used a lot of these eyeliners and it was good for the price, but I am fed up of repurchasing this so often. It drys out so quickly and now I have a new favourite I won’t be repurchasing this.

PS…Love this 100 oval cosmetic pads 90p ~ If you don’t know this by now these are the only cotton pads I buy. I don’t know what to say about these other than they are super cheap and work very well.

Benefit They’re Real tinted lash primer £18.50 ~ I purchased this when it first came out about a year ago (February 2016) and I ad never tried a lash primer before. Safe to say that with an expiration date of 6 months this needs to go, but I am definitely going to repurchase this very soon. This product is incredible, it makes your lashes so long and wispy. It separates your lashes well, so it never clumps. You can wear it alone or add a mascara on top for super false effect lashes. This is holy grail status to me for sure.

NYX HD Finishing pressed powder in 01 translucent £8.00 ~ I preferred this to the loose version as it is more convenient. It sets your skin really nicely and lasts well. It will give you a white cast if you apply too much, so use a light hand. I’m unsure if I am going to repurchase as there are other pressed powders I want to try. However, I will probably pick it up in the future.

Smashbox photo-finish primer water 5ml £3.75 ~ I got this in a 4 for £15 sample offer from Boots and was quite impressed. I not only enjoy using this as a makeup setting spray and refresher but I find that it works great in combination with other primers as a base. The mister on this is good and I will definitely repurchase this.

Body Shop Glazed Apple shower gel 250ml £2.50 ~ This was brought out Christmas 2015 I believe and I love the scent of this. It has a warm candy apple scent that is perfect for winter. I purchased a mini and another full size during the Christmas sale this year just past because I enjoyed it so much.

Jordana Best Lash Extreme volumizing mascara £6.41 ~ This mascara was good for both length and volume. It was a little clumpy sometimes but not too bad. The formula is very wet, so if you don’t like that in a mascara then steer clear. If you are in the UK and want this you can this cheap on Amazon.

EOS Lemon Drop lip balm £5.95 ~ This is the last EOS lip balm in my collection. I really liked the smell of the one because I am obsessed with lemon but it was only okay as a lip balm. I find them difficult to store and a little expensive for what they are. Therefore, I won’t be repurchasing.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre sample FREE ~ I already have the full size of this and received this sample with a Cult Beauty order. I love this moisturiser so much because it is slightly thicker than a regular day cream but it absorbs quickly. The full size comes in a tube so you can get every bit of product out. I will definitely repurchase when I run out.

REN Flash Hydro- Boost sample FREE ~ I only got 2-3 uses out of this sample and at £34.00 for the full size, I don’t know if I will purchase it. To use this you apply to cleansed skin, then wet your hands and rub into the skin to add hydration. Afterwards you add your moisturiser as usual. It definitely left my skin extra hydrated and smooth and it is a product more geared towards some with my skin type (dry). However, it has a really weird scent. I don’t know how to describe other than it is very masculine. I can’t say at this moment whether I am going to purchase it or not but if I do I will let you guys know.

That is it for my empties in the month of January, totalling 18 items at £84.48. In my project pan 2017 post I mentioned that my overall empties aim meant I had to use up an average of 21 items a month; I didn’t reach that this month which is a shame but I wasn’t that far off.

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